Bob's Bayou Black Marina faces closure due to canal access issue

**PMantle** · 03-23-2018, 09:59 AM

Originally Posted by PawPaw "gene"

it would be somewhat like when they dam off a river to make a reservoir and flood thousands of acres of property then tell you that you can only fish the original river but won't mark where you can and can't fish. But if you fish outside of the river you can be charged with trespass. Nobody wants to take anything from the land owners but we need laws to protect the fishermen. We are just lucky that right now the greater majority of land owners allow access to the canals for fishing. Over the last few years more and more land owners are claiming the right to shut off some canals.

No, no it's not. And yes, you do want to take from the landowners. When a reservoir is made, the landowners are compensated, and are no longer landowners. Fishing in a canal over their rightfully owned bed is like me hovering over your back yard to shoot a squirrel. It's amazing how many fisherman want to trample all over our private property rights for the sake of fishing.

**Cajun Pop** · 03-23-2018, 04:48 PM

There is another thing to consider with the canal issue. The map landowners use to designate public water also shows private water. There were no canals then. All the water and all the fish were public except ponds wholly contained on private land. When the canals were dug, public water and fish flowed over private water bottom. There are at lease twice as many miles of canals as bayous in South Louisiana, and some of the bayous are no longer navigable because of all the canals. When the water and fish moved to the newly dug areas, the concentration in the bayous was greatly diminished. Now, if the canals are off limits, the public has access to about 1/3 of the public resources and private landowners want exclusive rights to 2/3 of those resources. They never compensated the state for the resources and never paid taxes on the additional value of the property if those resources have become private. What is fair about that? Either allow public access with no liability for landowners or pay annually for the exclusive right to public resources and pay the additional taxes on increased property value. It is just as amazing how property owners want the best of everything without having to pay for it - other than the lobbying and whatever other costs that bought the gift from the legislature. Neither side can have it all IF fairness is considered.

**armandsmith1975** · 03-23-2018, 08:32 PM

PMantle you agree with the problem we fisherman are against so you must be one of the rich property owner that only looks out for you and yours all we common folks want is acess it public water.I personally think the state is losing out on a lot money by turning away tourist you this rule because organizations like bass say they not coming to Louisiana unless this nonsense is changed

Sent from my SM-G935V using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

**PawPaw Gene** · 03-24-2018, 07:11 AM

A simple change in the wording of the bill would make a lot more sense to fishermen, hunters and landowners. Instead to access to all waters it should be changed to all dug canals connected to public waters. That way the marshes would be off limits and hunters wouldn't be pitted against fisherman. It's basically what we do now. The generous landowners in most occasions let us fish the canals and we are not allowed it the marsh. Sounds like a win win to me and very common sense.
"gene"

**Bobfish11** · 03-24-2018, 07:00 PM

We are one of, if not the only state that has this type of law that allows navigable waters to be gated off. Sad really

**PMantle** · 03-26-2018, 09:12 AM

Originally Posted by armandsmith1975

PMantle you agree with the problem we fisherman are against so you must be one of the rich property owner that only looks out for you and yours all we common folks want is acess it public water.I personally think the state is losing out on a lot money by turning away tourist you this rule because organizations like bass say they not coming to Louisiana unless this nonsense is changed

Sent from my SM-G935V using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

I own no land other than what my house is on, and know no one that owns anything affected by this issue. And, no, you don't want access to public water. You have that already. You want access to private property. I understand people want change, but you have to understand how complicated that will be. Just read the Crooks V. Dept. of Natural Resources decision. A change in the law could be viewed as a taking costing the state eleven gagillion dollars.

**mermentau** · 03-27-2018, 04:29 PM

The wildlife is not an issue. It's all a public resource and is regulated in harvest by the state unless you have a game preserve where you contain the animals.

The water is different. It should be like the air above my house. I can't stop air traffic unless they are damaging my property like the cane farmers have done twice. We don't own the air over our property as it flows freely with the wind. Property owners should not own the water if it flows in and out. Most places have water effected by wind and rise and fall happens. The water should be public to use unless it's completely dammed and doesn't flow both ways.

They want there claimed waters to be maintained by the WL&F spray people and the folks that pay for the spray kept out.

**PawPaw Gene** · 03-27-2018, 08:05 PM

When the land owners dig a canal and take public waters and fish, that's what fills the canals, did the land owners pay the state for the resources they take? When the land owners use that same water that was supplied from public water to float a drilling rig and for years to come to use that water to maintain the wells, do they pay for the use of such water. The land owners have made millions of dollars by using public waters on their private land to make untold millions or even billions. The land owners complain about erosion that is taking their land but they never talk about the fact that because they dug canals to reach the millions in profits their land is eroding.

I know that we will not solve the problem by writing about it here but it's good to hear different opinions and maybe more fully understand what's happening and then hopefully on day someone can come up with a solution that would be fair and equitable.
"gene"

**PMantle** · 03-28-2018, 09:12 AM

Originally Posted by PawPaw "gene"

When the land owners dig a canal and take public waters and fish, that's what fills the canals, did the land owners pay the state for the resources they take? When the land owners use that same water that was supplied from public water to float a drilling rig and for years to come to use that water to maintain the wells, do they pay for the use of such water. The land owners have made millions of dollars by using public waters on their private land to make untold millions or even billions. The land owners complain about erosion that is taking their land but they never talk about the fact that because they dug canals to reach the millions in profits their land is eroding.

I know that we will not solve the problem by writing about it here but it's good to hear different opinions and maybe more fully understand what's happening and then hopefully on day someone can come up with a solution that would be fair and equitable.
"gene"

I really don't understand how anyone can think this way. Do we pay for the use of air? Do we pay for the deer that wonder on to our leases?

Can I use my hover craft to go over your land to hunt your ducks?

**Cajun Pop** · 03-28-2018, 01:08 PM

Property owners do nothing to get the air to flow over their property. It has always been there. In the marsh and swamp, all the water was in the bayous and it was public. The landowners voluntarily removed their land and allowed that public water and fish to flow over their water bottom. There was never any doubt the water and fish were public and they should remain public until they have been purchased.

As far as shooting ducks over my land, you can do that as long as you don't set foot on my property to retrieve them. It happens at adjacent leases all the time. That is all the fishermen want - to have access to their rightful resources without setting foot on the property of others.

PPG, a fair and equitable solution would have to be a mutual agreement between property owners and fishermen. We will never get that from our legislature.

Thread: Bob's Bayou Black Marina faces closure due to canal access issue

Thread Tools

Display

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions